﻿educate yourself, save others.﻿

This optimistic chant is a mainstay at the March for Life hosted in Washington, D.C. every year. For young members of the pro-life movement, it is empowering to see and join thousands of like-minded individuals in protesting abortion and the status quo of oppression it foists on women and the most vulnerable in our society. To hear “we are the pro-life generation” is an uplifting reminder that there is hope for our cause to make significant progress throughout our lifetimes.

But outside of the March for Life, it can be much more difficult to maintain the same optimism about the pro-life movement, especially as a college student.

When you hear the word ‘feminist’, what do you think of? I think of "abortion on demand". “Keep your Rosaries off my ovaries,” and Planned Parenthood. Mainstream feminism has become a movement hostile towards women who do not believe in so-called “reproductive rights” as we saw last year when pro-life New Wave Feminists was included, then excluded, from the 2016 Women’s March on Washington (1).

It seems like no topic or news item is safe from polarization. From health care laws to hurricanes, there is someone, somewhere making it a die-hard partisan issue.

Fortunately, Georgetown University Right to Life, the Washington, D.C. university's pro-life club, made an honest effort to cut through the division and tried to find common ground with the other side. GURTL sent an email to H*yas for Choice (the club isn't recognized by the Catholic university and as such can't use the word "Hoyas" in their name) seeking to hold an event to raise awareness of issues the two groups can agree on, such as sex trafficking and the death penalty.

Their noble and friendly gesture was met with a nonsensical and accusatory response from HFC.